Scotty Bowman Showcase returns for 12th year April 10

Submitted

Wed, Mar 23rd 2016 10:10 am

The Buffalo Sabres announced the
12th annual Scotty Bowman Showcase will take place Sunday, April 10, at First
Niagara Center.

The 2016 Scotty Bowman Showcase
consists of three all-star hockey games between players from Buffalo and their rivals
from Rochester. Each game will consist of two 22-minute halves. Admission for
the games is $5.

The first game will begin at 11
a.m. with high school juniors from the two cities facing off against one
another for the Tim Horton Memorial Cup.

The next game will take place at 1
p.m. between high school seniors from each city. The winner of the second game
will be awarded the Scotty Bowman Cup.

This award and the event are named
after the legendary Bowman, the winningest coach in NHL history. He will be in
attendance to present the Bowman Cup to the victorious senior team.

The third game will feature
players from Buffalo and Rochester who play prep school or junior hockey,
either locally or elsewhere. The players will be split up into even teams and
will face off for the Rick Martin Memorial Cup at 3 p.m.

Several players have furthered
their careers following their participation in the Scotty Bowman Showcase, with
the most high-profile player being Phil Lane of Rochester. Lane was drafted by
the Phoenix Coyotes in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft
after competing in both the 2008 and 2009 events. Two former participants were
taken in the 2015 NHL Draft. The Chicago Blackhawks selected Dennis Gilbert, a
2014 participant, in the third round, and Joe Cecconi, a 2015 participant, was
drafted by the Dallas Stars in the fifth round.

The final selection of each team
will be completed by the Buffalo Sabres based on the ratings of the nominating
committee.

The participants for each game
will be announced at a later date.

Players will be individually
nominated and rated by a group of area high school, midget and junior coaches
from both cities based on their play this past season. For more information, or
to nominate a player for consideration, contact Sabres Youth Hockey Manager Ed
Grudzinski by phone at 716-855-4174 or via email at [email protected].